News You Can Use – March 2026

This month’s episode of “News You Can Use” on Healthcare NOW Radio features news from the month of March 2026.

The show that gives you a quick insight into the latest news, twists, turns, and debacles going on in healthcare with my friend and co-host Craig Joseph, MD (@CraigJoseph) Chief Medical Officer at Nordic Consulting Partners and myself, where every diagnosis comes with a side of humor. We hope you stay curious, stay engaged, and keep seeking the truth in healthcare in a world that thrives on information.

Buckle up as we dive into the ER of excitement, the ICU of irrationality, and the waiting room of wacky wisdom in this month’s show that features a review of:

• HIMSS
• AI and Commoditization
• Claude Skills
• Social Media Health Imapcts
• The Pitt

This month with Dr Craig just back from HIMMS, we are here to save you seeking out further infomration and insights: it’s AI all the way down. Every single booth had “now featuring AI” slapped on like a last-minute sticker job. And honestly we are both excited and terrified. The ambient listening tools that record your doctor’s visit and auto-generate notes? Pretty cool. The fact that every vendor is suddenly an “AI company” when three months ago they were selling glorified apps and spreadsheets? But as Craig said here’s the real conversation nobody’s having at these conferences. Why are hospitals paying top dollar for third-party AI when the base models from OpenAI, Google, and Claude are getting scary good, scary fast? Give it 18 months before some health system CEO/CFO/CMO/CMIO says “wait, why are we spending millions on this again?”

Speaking of Claude, Craig offers his insights into his switch from ChatGPT, and the new “skills” feature is a game-changer. Uploading his entire library and content, including all his blog posts from the last five years, and now he claims to have his very own personalized writing assistant that tells me when he is being repetitive (spoiler: often) or suggests connections your Social Media sozzled brain missed entirely. Claude is his intern, not a colleague but is getting better and, importantly learning all the time. As part of this discussion, we dive into car maintenance and discover that the car warning lights are not always clear, and as I discovered, this resulted in an engine fire. Just a thought but perhaps don’t be that guy or gal! Use AI for what it’s good at, but keep your critical thinking cap on.

Finally, we talk about how social media is literally giving people hemorrhoids. Seriously, Health Affairs published data showing 210 million people worldwide meet the criteria for “problematic internet use (Digital Addiction Is A Public Health Problem. Is Public Health Law The Solution?) but for near term effects we refer you to the PLOS article “Smartphone use on the toilet and the risk of hemorrhoids.” I tis noteable that Australia banned social media for under-16s, and the kids are actually thanking them. And now we have lawsuits proving these platforms were designed to be addictive. The takeaway? Touch grass, delete TikTok, and stop taking your phone into the bathroom. Oh, and watch The Pitt and Scrubs reboot but where despite being Hollywood productions things are pretty real.

We hope you enjoy our take on the latest news and developments in healthcare and want to help you keep untangling the web of information, dodging the sensational pitfalls, and emerging victorious, albeit a little dizzy, on the other side. In the end, the stories we uncover, and the discussions we ignite, all shape the narrative of our shared future. We want to hear from you, especially if you have topics covered or questions you’d like answered. You can reach out directly via the contact form on my website, or send a message on LinkedIn to Craig or me.

Until next time keep solving healthcare’s mysteries before they become your emergencies and stay healthy, stay skeptical, and for heaven’s sake, check who’s listed as your emergency contact.

This article was originally published on the Dr. Nick – The Incrementalist blog and is republished here with permission.

News You Can Use gives you a quick insight into the latest news, twists, turns and debacles going on in healthcare with Dr. Nick and Dr. Craig and where every diagnosis comes with a side of side-splitting humor. Your hosts are Dr Nick a long-time host, innovator and healthcare wizard who can prescribe a digital dose of innovation to cure even the most ailing operational inefficiencies. And Dr. Craig Joseph is the healthcare guru who can diagnose both patient and software glitches with equal precision, making sure hospitals run smoother than a well-oiled robot doc.

So buckle up, because we’re diving into the ER of excitement, the ICU of irrationality, and the waiting room of wacky wisdom.

Stay curious, stay engaged, and keep seeking the truth in a world that thrives on information. Because in the end, the stories we uncover, and the discussions we ignite, they all shape the narrative of our shared future.

And keep laughing at the absurdity, keep rolling your eyes at the headlines, and keep spreading the news like your favorite gossip. Who knows, maybe someday you’ll be the breaking news story we’re all talking about!

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